Birds of a Feather
by meepzorz
Summary: Hawke was never enlisted to help with the Deep Roads expedition, and instead takes over her sibling's contract with Athenril. Rumors in the districts tell of the mysterious Healer in Darktown, and forces outside of the elder Hawke's control drive her to find him. The chance encounter has the possibility of changing their lives for the better, or warping it into something tragic.
1. 00: The Board Is Set

Laeli Hawke hated Kirkwall. She hated how it seemed to always smell like a noxious pier, unless you were actually on the pier (which smelled somehow worse). She hated the baking heat, the rocks and the stones that seemed to be the only building material Wallers knew about. She hated how it was a bloodly hub for Templars, and she especially hated how Fereldans were treated.

Right now, though, she hated the heat most. She was stuck in the back pantry of Lirene's, waiting out the heat for the darkness so she could check in with Athenril. The stuffy, moldy and rat infested cupboard made her almost rethink Athenril's offer to use one of the safehouses.

Laeli struck the thought before she could latch on to it. Lirene's had weathered more than one Templar raid; the same could not be said of Athenril's scattered holdings in the city.

When the Coterie'd found that Athenril was using a Mage as one of her prime smugglers, they'd tried to lure her to them. When that didn't work, they'd tried scaring her or threatening her loved ones. It wasn't until one of Lirene's associates warned her that they'd been selling information to the Templars. It was a small miracle that Gamlen's hovel hadn't been razed to ground already.

The night she'd narrowly escaped the ambush, she'd left. Her family, despite Mother's best efforts, didn't have any more standing than they'd had when they'd washed ashore a year ago. It would only be a matter of time until Laeli was caught, and they would be punished for concealing a Mage.

Lirene offered to hide her; she was a Fereldan in need, after all, and she'd spent a good deal of time liberating stolen Fereldan goods from Coterie keepers. Lirene didn't want to lose her contact in the smuggling world either, so it worked out for everyone.

She just wished it wasn't so hot!

Laeli jerked when she heard her Mabari bark in the main area of the store. It was too muffled for her to make out the tone; nor could she hear more than the occasional muffled cry.

Was it a raid? Had the Coterie found her daytime refuge after all?

Quiety, she moved to the side of the room and carefully arranged the blankets there around and over her, so she just looked like another pile of dirty bedding in the storage area. She was even more abyssmally hot, but she remained hidden, barely breathing, until Lirene came in to let her know it was safe.

She was so warm she dozed, and she wondered how much time had passed before she heard the crack of knuckles on the false back of the cupboard she was hiding in.

xx

"Laeli,"

She didn't move until she saw Lirene silhouetted against the dim light of the room beyond. The woman left the door open just enough that a beam of weak light made it's way in.

"It was your brother," Lirene said after Laeli'd disentangled herself from the sheets. After sitting in that furnace for Maker knows how long, she felt amazingly cooler. Lirene passed her a small cup of water and she nearly choked bolting it all down at once.

"He ask about me again?" Though they'd had their differences growing up and coming to Kirkwall, the relationship she'd had with her younger brother had taken an abrupt turn when she decided it would be better for all of them if she simply vanished.

"Always, but you weren't who he was looking for today." Lirene peered through the door a moment, making sure no one had followed her back out of habit. "He's planning some expedition, needed maps or a guide."

Laeli snorted. Carver wasn't the first person she thought of when she needed a navigator. "Probably Bartrand's. His is the only caravan planning to leave soon. Who would possibly lead that circus to buried treasure? Even after a Blight the roads will be thick with Darkspawn."

"He heard rumors of a Fereldan Warden that snuck in with the rest of the refugees on the tail end of the Blight." Lirene went on. "It worries me that stories of him are already surfacing... But hopefully his reputation as a Warden will keep the worst of the thugs at bay."

"Rumors of who?"

"He's another Mage in hiding, same as you. But a Healer, not a smuggler or the Coterie would have snatched him up by now, Warden or not."

Laeli felt uneasy for a moment, but she quashed the feeling. She'd managed to survive alone before. She could easily do it again. "A healer would be more valuable to you than a pyromancer, you know."

"Hush, I know what you're going to say and I'll hear none of it. Anders doesn't need anyone protecting him; he can do that himself. As a matter of fact, he prefers it."

"Does he, now?"

"He says it makes his work easier, so don't go looking for him. It's hard enough keeping Templars away from you alone."

"You're assuming I'll have time. Athenril's kept me fairly busy," She stood up and started stretching.

"Stay out of trouble, Hawke."

"Do my best, but I promise nothing."


	2. 01: Pieces in Play

Even with the sun nearly down, it was still a bloody humid and uncomfortable evening. The air felt closed around her like a sweating palm, and Laeli couldn't help but recall the cool summer sunsets out in Lothering so many lifetimes ago.

The crowds weren't helping, to be sure. It was the busiest time of evening, when the market stalls and stores in Lowtown closed for the night and the people began preparing for an equally active evening drinking and socializing in the few pubs and bars that opened their doors to them.

Or, in Laeli's case, preparing for a long night of careful law breaking.

The market was nearly closed down for the evening. A few merchants were still haggling, but for the most part the larger groups of people were clearing out and heading further into Lowtown. It looked like it would be a busy evening for the Hanged Man.

The sun sank further behind the mountains towards the west, casting Lowtown into a deeper gloom. She couldn't help but wonder if she was too late to get the meeting point for the evening; usually one of Athenril's runners would have been in touch by now, but with Lirene's shop so busy... it had been difficult to slip away unnoticed before now.

Laeli started making her way towards the point of contact she often used, making her way as if she was going to be one of the Hanged Man's many patrons. Before she realized it, she was lost in thought and getting dangerously close to Gamlen's hole in the wall.

So many hurt, even more hungry. Some days were just worse for Fereldans on these foreign and bitter shores. Maybe she could visit Mother tonight, or talk some sense into Carver's thick rock of a brain and talk him out of this foolishness with Bartrand.

Laeli jerked, turning as a hand tugged unexpectedly on her sleeve. She nearly took the child for a clumsy pickpocket, but she recognized the eyes staring up into hers. Before she could say a word, he shoved a small, withered and sickly rose into her hand.

"For you, serah. From an admirer." He was gasping, as if he'd been running in this heat for hours looking for her.

"I... thank you, young ser. Take this, as a token for my admirer." She plucked the earring she was wearing and pressed it into his palm, an heirloom from her father's side of the family. The boy took it without a word or a nod, and ran back towards the hole of Darktown where he had first crawled out from.

xx

It was full dark by the time Laeli made it up into the outskirts of Hightown. Aside from the occasional patrol, all was quiet in the clean streets and empty alleys of the nobles' so called Cloud District.

Not that you could tell from the Rose, the most expensive and successful brothel in the city. While the rest of the city was winding down, it seemed the party within was only warming up into full swing. She could smell rich dinners being prepared and served, hear the whores either working their trade or trying to drum up more business.

Why Athenril insisted one of their usual gathering spots be within spitting distance of a Coterie-run establishment was beyond her; Athenril had once said something about it being easiest to hide at the base of a lighthouse or some other nonsensical proverb. Laeli just thought it would be more convenient for their assassins to dispose of their bodies with them so close to friendly organizations.

She nodded to the lookout Athenril had posted, a seemingly drunk man conveniently tossed from the Rose just across the street. Aside from a quick flash of his eyes, he made no other indication he'd recognized her or even knew she was there. She simply strolled into the alley behind the crate he was leaning against, acting as if she was simply heading back to Lowtown before she ducked into a small niche safely out of view of the main road and the eyes that may try to pry into business not their own.

The same runner from the market was there, which was strange. They usually stayed in the safe houses while the work was actually being done; they were the most legitimate employees under Athenril's smuggling ring, and she used them to keep well aware of the goings on in the other organizations besides her own and the Coterie's ring. They had to be free to move without suspicion, and they couldn't do that if her rivals knew their faces.

While Athenril finished talking to one of her other smugglers, the boy returned Laeli's earring. It was unnerving how even now he wouldn't meet her eyes, and how he seemed to act like she was on the verge of kicking him. He knew something she did not, something unpleasant, and she was quite certain she would be even more upset than he was.

"Hawke, I almost thought you weren't going to make it tonight. Glad I sent Pryce out for a second sweep." Athenril seemed just a bit too pleased this evening; the Coterie had been kicking them from one side of the city to the other in recent weeks, and they'd lost a fair bit of trade because of it, enough so that the elf had become a bit prickly to deal with before the nightly runs were carried out. "There's some boxes coming in tonight. I also got my hands on some of the lower grade lyrium the Chantry and Circle aren't too interested in, but to the right people it's still Dust."

Athenril was paging through The Books, her only records of property and people that they dealt with in this line of work. In reality, it was only a small portion of her records that could afford to be lost if the wrong hands found them. Athenril hadn't survived this long being hounded by guards and Coterie by being stupid, after all.

"Lyrium's fairly ambitious, even for you." Laeli settled on one of shipping crates, watching the alley behind them despite the look-outs posted above. She wasn't stupid either.

"A deal like that, we're lucky we found it first."

"And who did we find?"

"A dwarf noble exiled to the surface. He's to the point that he'd sell his men's gold teeth if it would give him an extra foot hold up here." Athenril shuffled some pages, looking for the one about the contact. "You're to meet him at the docks. The merchant vessel will pull in with white sails and a dark strip through the middle."

"Wonderful. I love wandering around the piers in the dark, surrounded by deep water, guards, and perhaps Coterie assassins to make a high risk trade."

"You'll be taking the boy with you, as well."

And there it was, Athenril's grand scheme that everyone else had been privy to aside from her pet mage. She knew damn well she was blind siding Laeli with this, as if she was hoping to cut off any arguments before Laeli had a chance to speak up. Well, she was damned wrong.

"He's barely off his mother's tit and you want me to bring him?" Laeli started climbing down. "Give me Hans. Andraste's ass, I'll even take fuck-up Philipe. Not the boy."

"I'm not naive enough to think you'll be on my payroll forever, Hawke. Even with you taking over your brother's contract, I've got you less than a year now." Athenril busied herself hiding the papers in the nooks and crannies of her impromptu office. "You're one of the reasons we've made it so far with the Coterie breathing down our necks. Do you think the boys could have cleared that warehouse like you did? Set off those traps without losing hands? No, Hawke. I've only got one of you when I need five. You're taking the boy on this run and every run after until your contract runs out or you die. Think of it like an apprenticeship."

"He's still a child."

"He's old enough to want a job, and that's all that matters to me. The younger ones learn faster anyway; less useless bullshit floating between their ears to get in the way." Athenril sighed, turning to the Mage with a deadly serious look. "If you don't want the job, fine. You've done enough for me that I'll let this one slide and give it to one of the guys. But that boy is earning the sovereigns I paid to get him and his sisters into the city, and he's going to start tonight."

It would serve Athenril right if she made her eat those words and refused the job. Halfassing like she was, no information on client or what they were going to offer. No reputation to let Hawke know how to go about approaching them in the first place. It stank of a trap, but Athenril was getting too greedy to see it. It would be her hard-learned lesson if this exploded in their faces.

But the boy...

"I'll get it done."

xx

-

"Stay close to me." Laeli murmured, leading the boy up and out of Darktown and into the muted light of the moon as it shimmered over the water of the docks. "And don't speak, even if they ask you a question directly."

"Yes, serah."

"And when I tell you run, you run. Your sisters won't be paid if you wind up dead."

She felt chills running up her spine and over her arms. She didn't like any of this at all; down to the contact right on through to the meeting point, uncomfortably close to the new Qunari compound. She knew enough about them to know they hated magic and mages, and that was enough for her.

Of course, she could just be reading too much into it. Wouldn't be the first time. But something felt _wrong_. Even the air was still, like a cosmic force was holding it's breath.

"Where should we set up shop, Hawke?" One of Athenril's elves; he was usually posted as a look out, but they were short handed tonight and she'd drawn him as an enforcer. More bad luck on this uncertain night.

"The far western docks. We can see inbound ships from the yard and watch their approach from the one opening eastward."

"If it goes south?" At least the others could smell the trouble too; Laeli was starting to think she was going crazy.

"We'll be sitting over one of Athenril's houses in the sewer. Hopefully it won't come to that."

Laeli sent one of the lookouts to spot for her on the pier while they waited for the vessel out of sight. The boy made her nervous; he was skittish and jumping at flickers... And watching him reminded her of Carver, half a lifetime ago.

"Settle in." He flinched like he'd been bitten. "We may be here a while. No point flinching like a terrified bunny."

"Forgive me, serah, it's just..."

"The first run's always the worst." Laeli said for him.

The boy nodded wordlessly, crouching down and pushing rocks and grit around nervously. At least he'd settled.

"How old are you, anyway?"

"Eleven, serah."

"And you're the oldest huh? How did you fall in with Athenril?"

The boy looked up, looking like he was about to answer when her mabari suddenly stood. He growled for a moment, before his barks thundered out into the darkness. Laeli quieted him with a glance before motioning for one of the enforcers to investigate.

"Probably a guard wandering too close, or Athenril checking on us," Laeli said to reassure the boy, and herself. Camden was still growling solidly, and he refused to settle back down. Instead, he began pacing between his mistress and the bottleneck of the alley they'd forced themselves into.

The pit in her stomach was back, and she was suddenly very aware of her racing heartbeat. The enforcer had told her everything was clear, but...

"When did the watcher signal last?"

"He's late." The elf sentry replied, watching the skyline. He didn't have to tell her he was just as concerned; she could taste the fear on the air and feel the tension strung tight between herself and her companions.

"Set the signal, the deal is off." Laeli could feel panic clawing up from her stomach, icing her veins and clouding her judgment when what she needed was a clear head and certainty of actions. "Scatter on the winds; I'll deal with Athenril. Stay low until we know it's safe."

"Serah?" Laeli'd nearly forgot about the boy.

"Come. We're leaving."

"But we haven't seen-"

"Nor will we. Don't worry about Athenril; no one else is right now." She reached for the boy, his arms still wrapped around the box of goods Laeli had had him hold for safekeeping.

She saw the blood before she heard the man's cry of pain, just six paces ahead of them. An arrow had sprouted from his chest, blood springing up from the wound almost immediately as he staggered and finally collapsed a moment later. The shadows jerked and fluxed at her feet, so crisp in the bright light of the moon that she didn't need to look up to know archers were bearing down on them from above.

There were too many to fight off, too many to run.

Camden was already sinking his teeth into the first assassin brave enough to cross into their camp, but he returned at her call. She threw a blast of fire to clear the path, scattering the few on-foot knife men while dragging the boy along behind her and away from the ambush.

The others fled, some escaping into the sewer. The few that made it down bolted it closed somehow, forcing the rest of her comrades to run elsewhere. They were not her concern now, in any case.

She'd nearly made it to Lowtown when she felt the bite of an arrow in her back, high in the shoulder. Lucky, if a wound could ever be lucky, that it struck her left shoulder and not her dominant side. She threw a ball of fire at the mob gathering behind them, buying her a few precious moments.

"Run!" The boy stood frozen, still clutching the bloody, flaming, stupid box of Athenril's goods. "Run, you little fool! Hide! Don't come out until it's quiet and there's no one to see you! GO!"

Laeli shoved him aside, hiding his escape with a flurry of fireballs while he stumbled out of sight. She turned to count the attackers trailing her, to see if anyone had noticed the nameless boy and his box of contraband disappearing into the darkness, before she felt the sting of another arrow in her thigh.

The welling fear served a purpose though, fueling the psychic blast that knocked a handful of her attackers away. She snapped most of the shaft of the arrow that was piercing her thigh off in her blind, adrenaline fueled panic as she struggled to plan an improbable escape.

The fear was so massive, so overwhelming that Laeli felt almost as if she was blacking out. She didn't remember turning. She didn't remember bolting, or throwing another fireball to disorient her attackers and mask her escape. She only remembered falling into the shadows of Darktown, trying to escape.

She stumbled along, tired, hurt, and bleeding, and she hadn't even cleared into the slum proper yet. The beggars she did see, those too old or too weak to get prime spots, simply watched as she hauled her battered body along. Sometime between her fleeing from the steps of Lowtown and finally managing to slip into the alleys of Darktown, she'd acquired another arrow a few finger widths from the first, and one of the Coterie's knife men had managed to get close enough to gash open her side.

But she limped along with only one thought: Escape. Escape. Escape.

Almost there. She could almost taste the rot and smell the misery that preceded the dankest corners of Kirkwall.

She made it out of the tunnel and past the corner before she finally collapsed, unable to hold herself up on her own power. The last thing she saw was Camden running away and leaving her behind, and she couldn't even muster up the feelings to care.


	3. 02: First Meetings

Somewhere, in the furthest reaches of her mind, Laeli Hawke knew she was dying.

Each frantic beat of her heart seemed to be more desperate but weakening, trying to keep her alive but only managing to speed her departure from the world. It was not a wholly unpleasant feeling... but it wasn't a good feeling either. It just was, and nothing she could do could change things, so why fight?

But still... giving up was a surrender. Even the word itself tasted wrong in her mouth, set her nerves on edge and forced her to try and stand on legs that simply would not bear it.

Her vision had long since dimmed, and all she could see where changes in light and shifting, formless shadows twisting and changing as she pulled herself up to her knees. As long as she was breathing, she was ok. She could get out of this. She could drag herself to safety and recover.

Laeli steeled her nerves, trying to stand, and all she could hear around her was her own harsh breathing and the sound of life and resolve rushing out of her. She nearly collapsed again, feeling herself almost completely numbed over and powerless, when she felt hands grabbing at her.

Her body shot one last dose of adrenaline into her system, the panic driving back the creeping tide and giving her a few last precious moments of nearly lucid thought, and she tried to fight off the vulture that didn't even have the decency to wait until she was dead to pick over her body for valuables or money.

But her arms were weak, she couldn't get the proper traction or force for a good kick and even then, she was on all fours at best and falling fast to the ground. But Maker help her, if she was going down, so was this creature invading her last few moments.

_Easy! _She wasn't quite sure if she'd heard the voice, or felt it in her soul. _Easy, now. Shhh..._

All the fight left to her seemed to be sapped by those words, and she was so very tired...

_You'll be all right. Just... easy-_

She could listen to the voice forever, but the world began to dim and swallowed her up in darkness as she was lifted from the ground.

xx

It was too early for there to be so much activity at Lirene's. Alot of talking, children crying. The shop must have been crammed full of refugees that morning. And they all seemed intent on waking Laeli up, and keeping her that way. She wiggled and turned so she was facing away from the door in her little cot, without bothering to open her eyes. A few hours more, that's all she wanted.

How thoughtful of Lirene, though, to set up a cot in the back for her. She was accustomed to sleeping on the floor, but this was much better. Roomier than she remembered, and it actually smelled decent, for once. Like elfroot and spindleweed...

Laeli cracked open her eyes, staring at walls and shelves she didn't recognize, in a place she'd never been. She couldn't even recall how she could have ended up here until she threw back the thin blanket. The splotch of dried blood was still over her thigh, and as her fingers found the hole where the arrow had pierced her the memories of the night before came swelling up and crashing over her in a wave.

She probed the tear, trying to assess the damage, but all she found was smooth skin and whole flesh. Not even a scar.

The door to the room was closed, but there were enough holes in the flimsy wood that she could see out well enough. A few people were crowded around a table while a child screamed, holding up a bruised, presumably broken arm. Closer to her door, Cullen was dozing off. He wouldn't have been so relaxed if they were in danger, so atleast things were looking up.

A groan from her stomach reminded her she was half starved, but rather than burst out into a crowd of people, Laeli decided to wait until things were calm before making it known she was awake. Instead, she scavenged around the room to try and identify either her savior, or his intentions.

There were shelves and cupboards covering any open space in the walls. Some were lined with a few books; mostly about plants and potion mixing. A few were anatomy texts, but what surprised her most was the sheer volume of plant life and potions.

She examined a few of the bottles, but most were unlabeled or had such terrible penmanship that she couldn't decipher one letter from another. She'd started in on the drawers (enough linen bandages to wrap a dozen people head to toe) when someone cleared their throat behind her. She slammed the drawer shut and spun around, doing her best to appear innocent and not rifling through someone's belongings.

"Its generally rude to search someone's things without introducing yourself first." He said, his tone both chiding and playful. He was tall, and blonde, but he looked just a shade too thin, like he was wearing himself down too hard, too quickly.

And what was the deal with the feathered pauldrons? How many crows had he had to kill for those?

"Yes, well, I was looking for a set of clothes. Because these are bloody." Which was true. Her shoulder felt stiff with dried blood, and it was itching uncomfortably. Just true enough that it wasn't such a terrible lie.

And it was terrible.

"Because clearly you're in a ladies' dressing room." Damn him! "My name is Anders, by the way."

"And how did I come to be a guest in your lovely closet, Anders?"

"This is the part where you give me your name." He paused for a moment, waiting for her to answer, but she simply stared and crossed her arms. "Or just stand there, that's fine too."

"... Laeli."

"Lirene's little bird? No wonder her hound was so adamant I find you."

"He's not her's, he's mine." That sounded a bit petulant even to her ears. "And how did you find me?"

"With more cuts and arrows than a proper lady should have." He chuckled, but the sound died as Laeli continued her unamused stare. "Well, it's true."

"Thank you for finding me, in any case." She took a step towards the door, but he was in the way. "But I need to take care of things, if you don't mind."

"Lirene already knows you're here. As well as that brutish brother of your's. What was his name, Cleaver? Carver?"

Laeli's eyes darkened for a moment. "He put you up to this, didn't he? I need to go and see Athenril!"

"Right now? In broad daylight?" Laeli hesitated, the wheels turning in her head. "A few days to rest and relax won't cause any harm. The Coterie already thinks you're dead; why are you so eager to show them they're wrong?"

"I still need to get to Lirene's."

"Or you could stay here for a few days. It's fine with me, anyway." He smiled softly, gesturing behind them. "It would be nice to have company that wasn't screaming in pain."

"It would be awkward."

"I've been watching over you the last three days and nothing's happened. Just think it over before you run headlong into more arrows."

"And what would you want in return for this favor?"

Anders sighed and scratched the scruff of a growing beard. "You were right when you asked if Carver had put me up to this. In truth, he helped me with a personal matter. Something I could hardly begin to repay. So when he asked me to look after you, I agreed."

"Do I get a say in any of this?"

"You'd have to ask him." Anders said, teasing just a bit. "But it will have to wait until he returns from his expedition in the Deep Roads."

That stopped her in her tracks. "Carver went into the Deep Roads? He left, without me?" Little Carver, all skinned knees and scowls, alone underground? The thought boiled and rotted in her gut, and Laeli couldn't help feeling anxious.

"Its alright," Anders touched her shoulder gently, calming her like he'd soothed so many patients. "He can handle himself, and you'll see him in no time."

"Still... I can't stay here."

"Why not?"

"Because of personal reasons!"

"Because you're a Mage?" Laeli nearly choked on her tongue; that was the exact reason. No matter how charming and kind and attractive (wait, what?) this man was, no matter if her brother trusted him with her care, she couldn't risk her secret being exposed. The only people outside of family that knew about her was Lirene and Athenril, and even they were chancy at best.

She managed to swallow her brief panic and said, "I'm not!" What do they say about protesting too much?

"Silly girl," Anders laughed the way you'd laugh at a child saying something funny. "Do you think your brother would trust someone with you who wasn't?"

She didn't know what he'd meant until she saw his hands glow blue, then it suddenly fell together. Anders. The Healer in Darktown. Lirene's other hidden Mage, helping Fereldans get a foothold where no one wanted them.

Her mind was still so foggy, she hadn't understood or made the connections until now.

Before she could say anything more, someone was calling for Anders in the first room of the Clinic.

"We'll talk more when it isn't quite so busy." Anders said brightly while Laeli was still shocked to silence. "You still look a tad pale; try not to exert yourself by doing somethig silly, like running away."

With that, he picked up a few of the bottles before going back out front. Laeli could do nothing but settle on the bed and wait for him to return.


	4. 03: Filling In Gaps

_A lot can happen in three days._

That thought kept running through her head, almost like a mantra that wouldn't be stopped until it was etched into her very brain.

_A lot can happen in three days._

After Anders had left her, both confused and curious, Laeli could do nothing but think and review the conversation they had had over and over again. She was dissecting it, trying to glean anything else from the words that Anders _hadn't_ told her, like how her brother financed this little expedition of his, or if Athenril had got wind that she'd survived the ambush.

Or if Pryce had by some miracle of the Maker survived as well. And what about the other smugglers? The Coterie had been building up to this, weakening Athenril's business before going for the throat. They had to have known she was getting desperate, and that the elf would scramble after _any_ work she could find after being starved of success for so long.

How had Laeli been so stupid to miss it?

Despite everything Athenril had done to her, to Carver, despite all the tricks and the plots and the mind games designed to keep Hawke under her thumb, Laeli worried after her employer. If it hadn't been for her, she and her family would still be rotting just outside of the gates of the Gallows, if they'd even survive that long to begin with. Athenril had taken care of them, given her advances to put food on the table. Sheltered her from Templars and Coterie alike.

Athenril may as well have been family.

_A lot can happen in three days._

Laeli stood up again, pacing the small room for a moment. Anders had told her to stay put, to let things cool off for a few days, but how could she? She needed to know what was going on, if Athenril had slipped the noose the Coterie had so carefully laid out for them. She needed to know if Pryce had made it home that night to his sisters, if Carver had made bloody promises to try and save his family from the pit of Lowtown.

The thoughts filled her up, made her jittery. The walls were closing in around her.

_A lot can happen in three days._

Laeli peered through the crack in the door again, trying to see if she had any chance of sneaking away. She wasn't as stealthy as Athenril or her other nimble elves, but she could be sneaky when she had to be.

The clinic had emptied out; only Anders and a the couple he was talking with remained. He held a pouch of something in his hands, and looked as if he was explaining something very serious to the man and woman staring ashen faced at the floor.

Now or never.

"Cam!" She barely whispered it, but with the blood roaring in her ears it may as well have been a shout. "Camden!"

Her mabari twitched, twitching an ear in her direction without actually moving or giving her any other indication he'd heard her.

"I need you to be a distraction." She kept glancing nervously back at Anders, worried he'd somehow hear her conspiring with the dog or see her at the door and ask her what she was doing.

The dog snorted, flicking his ear almost as a dismissal and making it clear he agreed with the healer in this matter. It only made Laeli more desperate to get out and see what had changed for herself. "Please, Cammy."

She wasn't sure what exactly changed her mabari's mind; if it was the desperation in her voice or if he felt how ill at ease his mistress was, but after a moment he gave a very theatrical huff and stood. He threw a last look over his muscled shoulder before padding over to Anders and using his best whine to try and draw his attention.

They were too far from the closet for Laeli to make out what was being said, but it appeared as if Anders said not now and gingerly pushed the dog away. After a moment, Camden acted as if he was stepping away before lunging for the small parcel in the healer's hands.

Anders was more shocked than harmed and dropped the thing to the ground, where Camden promptly scooped it up in his massive jaws and went barreling through the doors at the far end of the clinic. Anders and the couple stood dumb struck after him, before they realized he'd snatched whatever it was and went stumbling after him shouting both curses and endearments to try and lure the dog back.

Laeli waited a minute in the closet, straining her ears to make sure no one was coming back to see her slip away before she pushed the door open and slipped out of the clinic as quickly as she dared.

x.X.x

Laeli's first lead, Athenril's old, derelict Boathouse that was in reality their base of operations and warehouse, did not have any good signs to bear.

When she'd arrived it had been nothing but a burned-out husk, with the Coterie symbol brazenly carved into the only section of wall that had managed to survive. The place had been ransacked first: there wasn't nearly enough debris and there were a few places where the floor was suspiciously bare... Like a good number of crates had been moved so recently the indents hadn't yet disappeared from the floor.

She'd been fortunate that The Lists had survived, the largest and most complete compilation of her records that Athenril dared to keep. The only reason the papers had survived at all was because Athenril kept them buried alongside her blackmail evidence, unearthing them maybe once every few months to make updates or additions as needed. It was a risk, but she had no other place as secure as her warehouse. She'd figured no location was safer than buried three feet below ground.

Laeli'd thought she'd been lucky that the records had any kind of listing about Athenril's safe houses, but now as she investigated and visited each to try and gather the depth of the damage to her employer's enterprise.. Now, she wasn't so sure.

The first house had been completely empty. Eerie, almost, how it seemed to be empty for years, like no one had lived here in quite some time even though Laeli knew it was one of Athenril's more used buildings.

The second had been set on fire, much like the boat house, only this time nothing could be salvaged and the place was crawling with guards. The bloody smoke was still rising from the heap.

The third looked as if a fight had broken out: the door's lock had been smashed to bits, the furniture inside had been broken or carved up. Dishware was shattered and scattered around, and even a few splashes of darker stains hurried Laeli out before she could decide what they were.

Each safe house fueled her fear that Kirkwall was not as she left it three days ago. It seemed the Coterie was finally tired of the leeches bleeding their city dry and had decided to do something about it.

The fourth house was something made entirely from nightmares.

The door hadn't just been kicked in, it had been hacked through with a sword or hatchet. The scene within was horrific, blood seeped into every surface or piece of furniture, bodies thrown around like dolls. And every where she looked, trying to find a place devoid of the gore, it just got worse. She took a step back and nearly stumbled out the door as her stomach wretched. It was all she could do to scramble out of the room and slam the broken door behind her.

Laeli held back the sick, glancing at the door and suppressing another wave of nausea. On the door, all she saw was the same Coterie symbol carved brokenly into the splintered wood, the word **VERMIN** scratched underneath.

She'd known those runners, knew their families. Been on jobs with them, broken bread with them. But it seemed the Coterie had known them, too, and decided it was for the better that they could never be bothered by them again.

When she finally came back to grips with herself, she realized she'd dropped the papers within. There were at least another handful of addresses she could try, but why bother? The Coterie had found them all.

She began to wonder, really wonder, if Athenril had made it out at all, or if the Coterie had struck her down as well.

Darkness was falling over Kirkwall, and for the first time in a year, Laeli was terrified of nightfall and the monsters it would bring. Her heart was pounding, crawling up into her throat and nearly choking her. She didn't have time to stand around and wait. She needed...

She needed to find Athenril, and she had only one other place to look.


End file.
